RAMALLAH, May 25, 2026 (WAFA) – The Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs condemned the escalating Israeli violations targeting Islamic holy sites and waqf lands across the occupied West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, warning of accelerating Judaization plans led by the far-right Israeli government.

In a statement issued on Monday, the ministry denounced the raid by extremist Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich into the archaeological area of Solomon’s Pools in Bethlehem governorate.

It stressed that the site is purely Islamic waqf property, historically and legally registered under the Ministry of Awqaf, adding that the raid constitutes a blatant assault on waqf property and a desperate attempt to impose a new colonial reality and falsify the area’s historical and Islamic identity.

In the same context, the ministry strongly condemned the occupation authorities’ decision to seize vast tracts of land encompassing the Nabi Samuel Mosque in occupied Jerusalem and areas in the town of Beit Iksa.

It said the seizure falls within a policy aimed at suffocating the mosque and completely isolating it from its Palestinian surroundings, while forcibly transforming it into a Jewish archaeological site, in blatant violation of international laws and conventions protecting places of worship and heritage sites.

The ministry stressed that this systematic campaign by ministers in the occupation government will in no way alter the historical truth, emphasizing that Solomon’s Pools and the Nabi Samuel Mosque are exclusively Muslim sites.

It called on the international community, human rights institutions, and UNESCO to intervene immediately to halt these violations and protect what remains of Palestinian holy sites.

The ministry also affirmed that the Palestinian people will remain steadfast in defending their land and holy sites and will continue protecting their waqf properties through all legitimate means.

T.R.